Novelty drinking straws are becoming more and more popular every year. Part of their popularity is due to the fact that they are inexpensive to manufacture and easy to package, thus being a desirable product to serve as a "premium" given away at such establishments as fast food restaurants, or to serve as favors at children's parties. Many of these novelty drinking straws include drinking passages which are in the form of loops, spirals, flowers, stick figures, eyeglasses, etc. Some examples of patents disclosing such novelty drinking straws include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,517,884 and 4,576,336, as well as German Published Application 3407733. These references all disclose drinking straws having a plurality of spirally wound loops connecting the mouthpiece and the end which is inserted into the liquid to be drunk.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,894 discloses one such novelty straw including a plurality of spirally wound loops connecting two end portions, each having a constricted internal diameter. One or more small objects, such as beads, are placed within the coils of the spiral portion. Due to the constricted internal diameters of the ends, fluid may pass therethrough, but the small objects are retained inside the straw.
In the case of U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,336, a plurality of coils are spirally wound around a drinking glass, with the mouthpiece projecting from outside the glass, and the other end being submerged inside the glass. In this way, the straw engages the glass so the two can be picked up simultaneously.
Furthermore, applicant in the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,315, which discloses a drinking straw having an insert and including a continuous passage hollow tube with two ends which is interrupted by one or more loops. The loops are oriented parallel to the ends of the passageway. One end of the passageway is connected to the looped portion by a transversely extending portion. The straw also includes a planar insert having an aperture or notch for engagement with the transverse portion so that the insert may be attached to the straw. However, due to the arrangement and orientation of the spirals, the novelty drinking straw of the disclosed patent is most advantageously used in combination with planar configured novelty items (printed pasteboard, cardboard or plastic), thus somewhat restricting its usefulness as an entertainment device.
Clearly, there is a need for a novelty drinking straw which may be used in combination with a variety of toys and other amusement devices so as to create an item of great appeal to children. There is also a need for such a novelty drinking straw in combination with a retained object wherein the object retained therein remains intact, and easily removable from the straw. Finally, there is a need for such a drinking straw which is inexpensive and easy enough to manufacture so that it may be used as a free, promotional item.